Chalk up another legal victoryfor vendors over their third-party servicing competition. SiemensMedical Systems has become the latest vendor to win a court battlewith an independent service organization after a federal judgedismissed all of the claims

This month's Society of Nuclear Medicine meetingin Orlando was proof positive that the recent slump in gamma camerapurchasing has not had a pronounced effect on technological innovation.Despite a plunge in orders that began late last year,

Toshiba uses cardiac segment for digital launchTechnological competition in echocardiography intensified this month with the introductionof two significant works-in-progress at the American Society ofEchocardiography meeting in San Francisco.

U.S. shipments on hold pending FDA actionThe ultrasound group of Siemens Medical Systems rolled out thered carpet last month at its new headquarters in Issaquah, WA.Siemens hopes the move will open a new chapter for the division,which is still

Ex-Otsuka president joins Tetrad effort Increased use of minimally invasive surgical techniques has helpedcut procedure costs, reduce risk and improve patient comfort.One limitation of endosurgery, however, is that surgeons loosetheir tactile

Acquisition expands CHC's client base Film and PACS vendor Du Pont plans to sell its Houston-based radiologyinformation systems business to RIS/HIS vendor Community HealthComputing (CHC). While the deal makes sense for both companies,its

Vendors must work with local partners As health-care standards in developing nations rise, so does demandfor advanced medical imaging equipment. Vendors who sell cost-effectivedevices with state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities will bebest

Novel engineering of ECAT ART aims for cost-efficient operation The nuclear medicine group of Siemens Medical Systems hopes to take some ofthe pain out of purchasing a new PET camera by introducing a newsystem that will sell for under $1

Technique Clears up Cardiac SPECT Images Attenuation artifacts caused by human anatomy have long been aproblem for nuclear medicine specialists doing cardiac SPECT.Anatomical structures such as the diaphragm, breasts and anteriorwall of the

STEP is first transmission/emission product on marketPicker Internationalgot the go-ahead last week from the Food and Drug Administrationto market its attenuation correction upgrade to eliminate artifactsin cardiac SPECT images. The Cleveland vendor

Large-format Film Boosts Prospects Polaroid has sold more than 100 units of its Helios dry-processingmedical imaging laser camera since sales were initiated in theU.S. early last year (SCAN 6/2/93). The medical film vendor hasestablished nine

GE, Advanced NMR Combine For 3-tesla MRI Medical imaging vendors trying to maintain product innovationin an era of shrinking budgets are turning to strategic partnershipsto freshen their product lines. The latest example of such cooperationis a

Software Programs Improve Quantification As a mature modality, nuclear medicine has been forced to fendoff challenges from other technologies encroaching on its turf.The use of nuclear medicine in brain imaging, for example, hasplummeted since

Toshiba America MedicalSystems last week unveiled Capasee, a compact ob/gyn ultrasoundsystem it is introducing into the U.S. The Tustin, CA, vendorwill market the system as a portable ultrasound scanner for privateoffice applications. Capasee has been

Technology must expand beyond radiologyInformation will be king in a health-care system focused on utilizationreviews and capitation. Teleradiology and PACS will gain staturein this evolving health-care context, but only if digital

Staff tumult continues at MGH subsidiary3M Medical Imaging Systems this month closed the book on its OEMrelationship with Massachusetts General Hospital subsidiary RStar.3M announced this month that it will no longer offer the RStarsystem and

Ultrasound PACS company ALITechnologies of Richmond, British Columbia, hopes to gain marketingheft from a new relationship with computer software developerNeXT Computers of Redwood City, CA. ALI signed on last month as a member of Object Channel, a

But demand may eventually dominate the regionUltrasound sales have great potential in the dynamic Asia-Pacificregion, given their low cost, mobility and diagnostic versatility.However, ultrasound use may require some time to establish a

Company sees hazy future for gamma camera salesThe month of April was a study in contrasts for gamma camera vendorADAC Laboratories. While the Mountain View, CA-based company reportedsharply higher revenues and earnings for the quarter, it was

SuperSensor coil aimed at low-field segment A California start-up firm is hoping to transfer recent advancesin high-temperature superconducting technology into success inthe medical imaging industry. Superconductor Technologies (STI)has